(Naetalia)
I changed into an elegant dress for dinner, a deep, winter shade of blue with black lace trim and gloves. It was a new dress, beautiful, like the rest. No one would notice if I put on my riding boots under it though. Lined with fur and strapped firmly around my calves, much more comfortable and warm than the latest women's dress shoes. Whoever had created those thought nothing of comfort.
I decided to pass through the kitchens before heading the to dining room, to see how Shelly had been. Come to think of it, I hadn't been to see her in a few days.
...........
Naetalia looked around the bustling room. Servants paused at the site of her, growing quiet in conversation, but then continued on in their work. She caught several glances that looked like what she almost thought was fear. She scanned eagerly, but found no site of her friend, one of the few made since moving into the large castle.
A familiar looking elderly woman was cutting some vegetables nearby, and Naetalia quickly went over to her.
"Excuse me."
The woman looked up with wide eyes and quickly dropped her tools as she curtseyed.
"My lady?"
"Do you know someone who works here? By the name of Shelly? She's about my age, a little shorter," she motioned the height.
"They took her away just the other day. They've been doing that a lot, taking away servants and replacing them. But when they came that day, they asked specifically for her."
The young woman looked down at the cold, dirt colored tiles as worry filled her. What would they want her for? Where was she?
"You don't know why? Or where she is?"
"As far as I know, the old servants are tossed out on the streets, given no reason why. We're all under pressure now, there's no telling who will be on the new lists," she looked pleadingly at the soon-to-be-princess. "Please, miss, there are many who have no where else to go, and in this weather, we, we need these jobs. The people they bring in, they're not natural. It's like their keeping secrets. You can do something, can't you?"
Naetalia forced a smile, her thoughts scattered with the news.
"I'll see what I can do. If you see her, at all, please, can you let me know?"
The woman nodded.
"If I do."
Naetalia quietly uttered a thanks and headed slowly towards the exit, knowing dinner was not too far away.
............
"Was there something wrong with the servants we had?"
Her smooth voice entered the detained moment of silence at the table.
"What was that, dear?" the Queen responded, looking up from her plate. Everyone appeared to be oddly silent. Even the normally chattering Hannietta.
Naetalia moved some food on her dish with a fork.
"It's come to my attention that large amounts of the servants are being replaced, possibly from outside the kingdom. The ones who are told to leave aren't being placed anywhere else but on the streets."
"Nonsense, that's not how we do things here, you must be mistaken. Although we do try to move them around at times, given they work better in other areas."
The young woman looked up to catch a glare from the Prince sitting on the far side of the table.
"You shouldn't be concerning yourself with the servants," he said, putting on a carefree front. "I can't think of how many times they've said anything their illiterate minds can think of in order to make royalty sound like evil slave workers."
"I concerned myself because I had a friend of mine who has been one of those missing. I asked about her absence, and that was what I was told."
"Oh my, a friend who was a servant? How quaint," Hannietta finally commented with a smile. "That reminds me of this dear woman, Sophie. My was she a good dressmaker."
The silence broken for a while, the Queen and Hannietta continued to chat about friends, and dresses. Naetalia went back to picking at her food, hoping the frog was all right by himself in the room. She never noticed a glance the Queen's sister passed on to Kayell. He nodded back, and continued on with his meal.
...........
(Frog)
Things were starting to come back to me. This room, it was on the eastern side, well, okay, the window gave that away too. But I remember it. I remember how the trees just outside these walls, underneath the windowsill, would blossom in the spring with flowers of white. Riding out on hunts, on the new gelding I was given, a strong dapple gray. Attending those bloody parties my mother insisted I go to, and they wonder why I never wanted to talk to the guests.
Even worse, the women who would get invited. She would always pick the ones who lived hours away, days away, and be curious why I was hardly interested. Beautiful, yes, cultured, of course, but I never found one right for me, how could I? They would only try to please me and so, I never got to meet who they really were. Always trying to put up a show, a charade. Sometimes it just became so, frustrating.
Speaking of frustrating, if I ever find a way back to being, myself, I will never take walking for granted again. I had crawled under the bedroom doorway, into the hall, and quickly found how easy it was to climb up the walls. I figured I would be least likely to be spotted, or stepped on, either way probably wouldn't end well. Yet trying to crawl along a wall, and for one my size was very time consuming. Though, I suppose I had all the time in the world.
A few servants passed by, so busy they didn't notice me. Then, I heard some familiar voices down the hall. Quickly I made it into the next open doorway and settled on top of the doorframe, waiting.
I changed into an elegant dress for dinner, a deep, winter shade of blue with black lace trim and gloves. It was a new dress, beautiful, like the rest. No one would notice if I put on my riding boots under it though. Lined with fur and strapped firmly around my calves, much more comfortable and warm than the latest women's dress shoes. Whoever had created those thought nothing of comfort.
I decided to pass through the kitchens before heading the to dining room, to see how Shelly had been. Come to think of it, I hadn't been to see her in a few days.
...........
Naetalia looked around the bustling room. Servants paused at the site of her, growing quiet in conversation, but then continued on in their work. She caught several glances that looked like what she almost thought was fear. She scanned eagerly, but found no site of her friend, one of the few made since moving into the large castle.
A familiar looking elderly woman was cutting some vegetables nearby, and Naetalia quickly went over to her.
"Excuse me."
The woman looked up with wide eyes and quickly dropped her tools as she curtseyed.
"My lady?"
"Do you know someone who works here? By the name of Shelly? She's about my age, a little shorter," she motioned the height.
"They took her away just the other day. They've been doing that a lot, taking away servants and replacing them. But when they came that day, they asked specifically for her."
The young woman looked down at the cold, dirt colored tiles as worry filled her. What would they want her for? Where was she?
"You don't know why? Or where she is?"
"As far as I know, the old servants are tossed out on the streets, given no reason why. We're all under pressure now, there's no telling who will be on the new lists," she looked pleadingly at the soon-to-be-princess. "Please, miss, there are many who have no where else to go, and in this weather, we, we need these jobs. The people they bring in, they're not natural. It's like their keeping secrets. You can do something, can't you?"
Naetalia forced a smile, her thoughts scattered with the news.
"I'll see what I can do. If you see her, at all, please, can you let me know?"
The woman nodded.
"If I do."
Naetalia quietly uttered a thanks and headed slowly towards the exit, knowing dinner was not too far away.
............
"Was there something wrong with the servants we had?"
Her smooth voice entered the detained moment of silence at the table.
"What was that, dear?" the Queen responded, looking up from her plate. Everyone appeared to be oddly silent. Even the normally chattering Hannietta.
Naetalia moved some food on her dish with a fork.
"It's come to my attention that large amounts of the servants are being replaced, possibly from outside the kingdom. The ones who are told to leave aren't being placed anywhere else but on the streets."
"Nonsense, that's not how we do things here, you must be mistaken. Although we do try to move them around at times, given they work better in other areas."
The young woman looked up to catch a glare from the Prince sitting on the far side of the table.
"You shouldn't be concerning yourself with the servants," he said, putting on a carefree front. "I can't think of how many times they've said anything their illiterate minds can think of in order to make royalty sound like evil slave workers."
"I concerned myself because I had a friend of mine who has been one of those missing. I asked about her absence, and that was what I was told."
"Oh my, a friend who was a servant? How quaint," Hannietta finally commented with a smile. "That reminds me of this dear woman, Sophie. My was she a good dressmaker."
The silence broken for a while, the Queen and Hannietta continued to chat about friends, and dresses. Naetalia went back to picking at her food, hoping the frog was all right by himself in the room. She never noticed a glance the Queen's sister passed on to Kayell. He nodded back, and continued on with his meal.
...........
(Frog)
Things were starting to come back to me. This room, it was on the eastern side, well, okay, the window gave that away too. But I remember it. I remember how the trees just outside these walls, underneath the windowsill, would blossom in the spring with flowers of white. Riding out on hunts, on the new gelding I was given, a strong dapple gray. Attending those bloody parties my mother insisted I go to, and they wonder why I never wanted to talk to the guests.
Even worse, the women who would get invited. She would always pick the ones who lived hours away, days away, and be curious why I was hardly interested. Beautiful, yes, cultured, of course, but I never found one right for me, how could I? They would only try to please me and so, I never got to meet who they really were. Always trying to put up a show, a charade. Sometimes it just became so, frustrating.
Speaking of frustrating, if I ever find a way back to being, myself, I will never take walking for granted again. I had crawled under the bedroom doorway, into the hall, and quickly found how easy it was to climb up the walls. I figured I would be least likely to be spotted, or stepped on, either way probably wouldn't end well. Yet trying to crawl along a wall, and for one my size was very time consuming. Though, I suppose I had all the time in the world.
A few servants passed by, so busy they didn't notice me. Then, I heard some familiar voices down the hall. Quickly I made it into the next open doorway and settled on top of the doorframe, waiting.